EVALUATION DETAILS

FastFix Evaluation

Products are evaluated by dental professionals who use the products in their practices for about 4 weeks. The final score is calculated by combining an individual criteria average with an overall satisfaction average. All products are rated on a 5 to 1 scale.

Described by CAO as a revolutionary improvement, FastFix 1-Step Silane Primer enables effective condition and preparation of new porrcelain restorations and the repair damaged porcelain and ceramic restorations in minutes. The material?s breakthrough formula incorporates a novel organic acid and silane into a 1-step process, and produces strong bonds without hydrofluoric acid.

Ten dentists participated in this Dental Product Shopper evaluation of FastFix, rating such features as ease of use, ease of application, and time savings.

Ease of Use

To use FastFix, simply freshen the porcelain, apply the repair material, air dry, and bond.

When asked about ease of use for conditioning porcelain restorations, 5 evaluators rated it as excellent and 5 rated it as very good. Ease of use for intraoral repair was rated as excellent by 4 evaluators and as very good by 6. Nine evaluators cited ease of use and/or simplicity as the feature they liked most. ?The product is so simple, even a cave man can use it,? said an Alabama dentist who rated all features as excellent.

Application

According to CAO, the patented FastFix LiquaTip brush tips enable precise application with no mess or drips.

Precise application was rated as excellent by 6 evaluators, as very good by 2, and as poor by 2. Four evaluators commented on the liquid formulation; 1 would have preferred ?a little more viscosity,? another suggested a gel formulation, noting that ?as a liquid, there?s no control in placement,? and a third, who called it ?a nice, simple product to use,? noted that it was ?very, very liquid and pours out the dispensing brush tip too easily, creating a lot of spilled/ wasted material. There was little control over product placement.?

The fourth evaluator, in practice for 15 years, noted that ?there is no color to the liquid so it worked well for me on an anterior porcelain repairs without any color change.? Another dentist, who rated FastFix as very good, cited application as the feature he liked most.

Of the 9 dentists who evaluated time savings, 6 rated it as excellent and 3 rated it as very good. When asked about potential improvements, 1 dentist noted that ?unidose wouldn?t be a bad idea? it would cut down on set-up and breakdown time, as well as waste and crosscontamination.?

Five evaluators identified time savings as a favorite feature. Comparing it to his current repair material, 1 of these dentists, who said he would definitely recommend and purchase FastFix, said there were ?fewer steps involved.? Another evaluator, who rated all features as excellent, said it ?eliminates the etch step so I can go directly to my silane coupling agent.?

Overall Satisfaction

Overall satisfaction was rated as excellent by 3 evaluators, as very good by 5, and as good by 2. Eight dentists rated FastFix as much or somewhat better than similar products, 8 said they would recommend it to colleagues, and 7 said they would purchase it. One dentist described it as ?a great singledose substitute for my current silane coupling agent?works exactly as described.? Noting that more time is needed to evaluate long-term results, 2 other evaluators said it ?works great in an emergency temporary repair scenario? and said ?I haven?t had a repair fail yet.?

?This is without a doubt one of the easiest porcelain repair products,? said a dentist in practice for 28 years, who called it much better than similar products.